Thegovernment refused to confirm that it will ban solar panels from classA1, A2 and A3 farm lands when it announces regulations later this weekfor its Green Energy Act, but that's what the industry is hearing, saidassociation president Elizabeth McDonald.

The problem with aban, said McDonald, is those farmlands also tend to be the ones thatget the most sunshine, and they often provide easy access to theelectricity grid.

“This agricultural land tends to be close tothe transmission lines and, yes, sun is important for agriculture aswell as for solar,” McDonald said in an interview.

“All we'vesaid we need is .11 per cent of the agricultural land in Ontario, andmuch of this land isn't being used right now (for farming).”

Thatworks out to about 20,000 acres (81 square kilometres) of land, some ofwhich is already used for alternative energy production such as growingcorn for ethanol, said McDonald.

Imposing a ban could scuttlelarge-scale solar farms projects in Ontario, which McDonald said havethe potential to create 10,000 long-term jobs, and in the process, helptrain local workers for the green economy.

“You take a lot ofpeople and teach them how to mount panels, etc., and then often . . .these are the people who become the local installers in the town orcities,” she said, citing the experience with solar farms in severalEuropean countries.

“(A ban) is going to limit growth and with that goes the jobs and manufacturing potential, etc.”

Solarpanels also provide rental income to farmers, and the companies haveplans to decommission the solar farms after 20 years and return theland for agricultural use, said McDonald.

“We're very willing to do whatever studies that might be requested when we go into areas,” she said.

TheLiberal government will unveil the regulations to support its highlytouted Green Energy Act later this week, which will also include suchthings as mandatory set-backs from residential areas for industrialwind turbines.

Solar power companies have been anxiously waitingfor the regulations, which could be the deciding factor for whether ornot new solar farm projects get off the ground in Ontario or move tothe growing U.S. market for alternative energy supplies, said McDonald.

“Companies are sitting here trying to make up their minds,” she said.

“Thecompetition is increasing and companies will be saying `is there enoughof a market to stay in Ontario or are we going to go elsewhere where itmight be less onerous?”'

A spokeswoman for Energy MinisterGeorge Smitherman wouldn't comment Tuesday on the potential ban onsolar panels, and said any such restrictions would be announced as partof the regulations for the Green Energy Act.